| Alejandro | Nicolás | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | defender of the people | victory of the people |
| Origin | spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ah-leh-HAHN-dro | nee-ko-LAHS |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1885 | 1882 |
| Peak year | 2001 (4,557) | 2003 (3,003) |
| In 2025 | 1,842 | 2,053 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alejandro | Nicolás |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11,274 | 11,843 |
| 2010s | 25,033 | 21,216 |
| 2000s | 43,118 | 28,267 |
| 1990s | 35,178 | 21,219 |
| 1980s | 15,316 | 10,268 |
| 1970s | 9,134 | 3,870 |
| 1960s | 3,099 | 1,388 |
| 1950s | 1,713 | 1,041 |
| 1940s | 938 | 694 |
| 1930s | 775 | 567 |
| 1920s | 732 | 749 |
| 1910s | 228 | 367 |
| 1900s | 66 | 51 |
| 1890s | 10 | 19 |
| 1880s | 10 | 26 |
The Spanish form of Alexander, from the Greek Alexandros, combining alexein 'to defend, protect' and aner/andros 'man'. Carried through history by Alexander the Great and later by saints and kings.
The Spanish form of Nicholas, from the Greek Nikolaos, combining nike 'victory' and laos 'people'. Popularized by Saint Nicholas of Myra, the 4th-century bishop who became the basis for Santa Claus.
Nicolás is more popular than Alejandro today: about 2,053 US babies were given the name Nicolás in 2025, compared with 1,842 named Alejandro.
Alejandro means defender of the people (spanish origin), while Nicolás means victory of the people (spanish origin).
In US records, Alejandro first appears in 1885 and Nicolás in 1882, so Nicolás has the longer recorded history.